Understanding the “Hallow” in Halloween

The word Hallow means to “make or set apart as holy” and to respect or honor greatly; revere.  Jesus himself told the disciple an example of prayer is what we call “The Lord’s Prayer” and he used these words; “hallowed be thy name.”  It is obvious that the word ‘Hallow’ is directly linked to God [our Father which is in heaven].  How did this word change to Halloween and how we celebrate it today/

Originally this celebration was an unholy ritual used by the Roman’s and the Celtic Druids [you can look this up anywhere on the internet]. During the Middle Ages (about 600 years ago), the Roman Catholic Church at that time, decided to make the change-over from pagan religion to Christianity a bit easier, and therefore allowed the new converts to maintain some of their pagan feasts. It was agreed, however, that from now on they would be celebrated as "Christian" feasts. So instead of praying to their heathen gods, they would now pray to, and remember the deaths of saints. For this reason the church decided to call November 1 the "Day of All Saints," and the mass to be celebrated on that day "Alhallowmass." In consequence of this, the evening prior to this day was named, "All Hallowed Evening" which subsequently was abbreviated as "Halloween." In spite of this effort to make October 31 a "holy evening," all the old customs continued to be practiced, and made this evening anything BUT a holy evening!

As we know, Halloween is definitely not celebrated as a Holy Day or Eve.  It tends to be directed toward things of evil which is against Christian beliefs because of the comparison of a Hallowed God the Father and the Hallow of evil practices by cults.  It also brings the danger of young people dabbling in things of evil spirits.

Is there anything wrong in our children dressing up in costumes and going out to gather up candy?  Probably not in itself, because most of these children are not thinking they are doing anything evil; they are just having fun.  Knowing the history of Halloween, it is up to parents to decipher the pros and cons for their children.  The Bible says we should train up our children in the ways of the Lord.  If you feel this does not oppose the Word of God, you will probably let your children Trick or Treat. 

Going on about the word ‘Hallow’, let me show you how the world has incorporated this word into an evil entity.  Let’s look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  The sign of the Deathly Hallows 

represents three objects symbolically: the Wand, the Stone, and the Cloak. 

• The Elder Wand, known throughout history as the Deathstick and the Wand of Destiny, is an extremely powerful wand.
• The Resurrection Stone allows the holder to communicate with the dead. According to the fairy tale concerning the origin of the Deathly Hallows, using the Resurrection Stone drove its original owner, to commit suicide.
• According to the legend, the Cloak of Invisibility has the power to shield the wearer from being seen by Death. It is a true invisibility cloak, in the sense of being able to completely shield the wearer from sight.

There is nothing I can add to all the teachings and comments about the evil of the Harry Potter series.  However we can see how this worldly approach turns Holy things of God into Evil things. 

We have alternatives to Halloween such as Harvest Parties, Family Get-togethers or School activities.  Kids can dress up like cartoon characters, Bible characters or animals, but dressing up like something dead or evil should not be something you should select for your children.   Some of these things must be so offensive to our heavenly Father, like pregnant angels, or pregnant nuns; cute little devils or ghosts.  How about zombies?  They might sound funny to some, but are against the Word of God. 

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” [Hebrews 9:27]  People are not going to wander around half dead and half alive.  The Devil isn’t cute!  God’s heavenly creation – angels are not going to be pregnant for they are neither male nor female.  Lets be real; there is nothing funny about evil! 

A word of advice, when you are out trick or treating on Halloween and you get a creepy feeling that someone or something may be watching you or following you, you are probably right.  Just remember these spirits are not from God, so where do you think they came from? They are not 'hallowed', so they must be 'hollow'.

I Wish You Were My Neighbor!

One night my neighbor’s dog barked until the wee hours of the morning.  The people on the other side of me were having a party and the music was cranked up.  I didn’t get much sleep. The next day wasn’t much better.  The neighbor on the other side of us to cut down some small trees in our side yard because they dropped leaves on his yard. The people down on the corner have twins and they are so bad, the rest of the neighbors call them “the twins from hell”.  They’ve been knocking on my door and looking in the windows.  Then, there is the woman across the street; she knows everyone’s business and loves to tell you about it. Well, I didn’t ask for these neighbors when I bought this house.  I don’t neighbor anyway.  If they leave me alone, I’ll leave them alone.

One day when I was reading my Bible, I came to Luke 10:27-37.  Jesus was talking to a lawyer and the lawyer asked how he could have eternal life.  Jesus answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” This hit me like sticking my finger in a light socket; love the neighbor whose dog barks all night, or the people having a party, or the demon twins, along with the people across the street?  Surely that didn’t apply to me.  I read on....

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan.  “A man was beaten and left for dead on the rod to Jericho.  A priest walked right on by.  Then a Levite (a religious Jew), passed him by.  After that, a Samaritan (no one liked Samaritans) came along and stopped and took care of the man.”  Jesus then asked the lawyer who he thought was a neighbor.  He replied that it was the Samaritan.  Jesus told the lawyer, “go and do likewise”. Did this mean caring about all those people on my block; not just thinking about it, but actually having a genuine concern about how they lived, the burdens they carried, and even for their very souls.  It meant praying for them, even if I didn’t like them.

            Proverbs 14:21, “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.”  

Lord, I never said I hated them.  I just don’t want to have anything to do with them.  After all, they aren’t like we are. They live like heathens, doing things I would never do. Matt. 7:4 “Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.”

Ouch!  That hurt, Lord. I’ll try to think nice thoughts about them.  Now the neighbor that has the dog that barks.  Maybe if I called the police they would handle it and I wouldn’t even have to deal with it.

Pro. 25: 7 “What you have seen with your eyes 8  do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? 9  Argue your case with your neighbor directly...” You really don’t mean I should just go to that neighbor and discuss the problem? Suppose I do that and being the person that he is, (scum, low life, weird, maybe a criminal, or could be on drugs, etc., etc., etc.) he probably will make his dog bark more just to get back at me.

James 4:12 “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?” All right!  I will go and speak with that neighbor and be real sweet.  Maybe I can be so kind and sincere that I can convince them that I just love dogs and appreciate that their darling dog is so smart that it alerts all the other neighbors to anything that moves after dark.  He’ll never know how I can’t stand dogs and really wish that it would run away and never come back.

Ps. 28:3 “Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.”

This just isn’t working out.  I need to try Plan B.  My nosy neighbor across the street may be able to help me out.  If I go to her and tell her that the other neighbor’s dog is barking all night and keeping everyone (evangelistically speaking) awake, she will probably spread the word around the neighborhood and pretty soon someone will either call the police or go and confront the owner.  Then I don’t have to be involved.

While I’m at it, I’ll casually mention the people next door who party half the night.  She probably knows what’s going on anyway.  Once everyone on the street knows about these things, it will probably be taken care of.  I’ll still look good and won’t have it on my conscience. Ps. 101:5 “Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.”

Lord, I take it you don’t want me talking to anyone else about this?  I guess you made it pretty clear.  But, what about the twins, Lord?  They tried to climb my fence; they painted their neighbors garage door pink and threw stones at the cars going past their house.  One day I yelled at them and told them to get out of my yard and never come back.  My nosy neighbor across the street told me they call me the mean lady.  They don’t even look at me when I see them.  Ro. 15:1 “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

Things have changed around our neighborhood lately.  People seem different somehow.  I met the next door neighbors who wanted to cut down my tree.  They are quite nice people.  I found out they both like to garden.  With that tree out of the way, I found a perfect place to plant my peonies. A really strange thing happened.  I was praying one night when the dog was keeping me awake.  I must have been half asleep because I thought I heard a voice say, “Now I have your attention”.  The dog hasn’t barked since.

I walked across the street the other day and chatted with my neighbor.  I found out she is from another state and is very lonely.  She is so kind and keeps an eye on our place when were out of town.  It’s good to know you have a neighbor you can trust. I can’t believe it; ever since I started waving at those twins when I go by, they give me great big smiles and wave back.  Next time I bake cookies; I’ll call them over and give them one.  I heard their mother works nights and sleeps days.  She’s probably too tired to do much with those boys.

I stopped in the local grocery store one day and met a lady who lives a block over.  We chatted back and forth as we stood in the checkout line.  When we left the store, her parting words were, “I Wish You Were My Neighbor!” I looked up the word “neighbor” in the dictionary.  It has two meanings, 1) someone who lives near, and 2) your fellowman.  Ps. 15:2  “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3  and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman...., 5 ... He who does these things will never be shaken.”

Lord, help me to be a good neighbor.  Let me look for the good in each of them and remember this: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than this." (Mark 12:31)

Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: GIVING YOUR BEST FOR HIM

Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: GIVING YOUR BEST FOR HIM: There is an old hymn written by Mrs. Charles Barnard, “Give of your best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart; Give Him first p...

Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: (98) Facebook

Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: (98) Facebook: (98) Facebook : wanda-ritter.blogspot.com

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GIVING YOUR BEST FOR HIM

There is an old hymn written by Mrs. Charles Barnard, “Give of your best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart; Give Him first place in your service, consecrate every part.”  What powerful words flowed from the pen of the writer; obviously someone who was in the service of the Master. 

“Give of your best to the Master."  How does this fit into our life today?  Truthfully, few give their “best” to Jesus.  We might give Him a place in our heart, but is it the best?  Have we invited Him in and then left Him alone as we hurried on about our business?  How terrible that would be.  Jesus is the honored guest and we must treat Him as a guest.

Imagine inviting someone to come and stay with you and you give them a big hug and are so happy to have them there.  Then you settle them into a nice guest room; making sure they are comfortable.  Then you go on about your business; going to work and not even saying good morning to your guest.  Perhaps you fix you meals, but don’t ask the guest to the table.  Evening comes and you settle back in your comfortable chair to watch a few hours of your favorite programs; is your guest still in his room?  Bedtime comes and without a thought you get in bed, turn out the lights and go to sleep.  It might have been nice to at least tap on the door and ask your guest if there was anything he needed. 

A week passes by and you still haven’t seen the houseguest or talked with him.  Now it’s Sunday so you tap on his door and invite him to come out and go to church with you.  There is no answer, so you open the door and “Surprise!” there is no one there.  Wonder when he left?  This seems to be what many people do; invited Jesus into their heart and then just go on about their business.  They are so busy there is not time for conversation with the Lord.  I’ve heard some say, “I’m too busy; He will have to contact me.  It’s His place to come after me, not me going after Him.  Guess what?  That isn’t how it works.  Just coming to church on Sunday’s isn’t going to keep a relationship with God.  That is our job.  We need to be out there in the work world and among friends and share the love of God with them.

Eph. 6:5 “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ”...  Our duty, as a believer, is to perform as though we are serving Christ, even though we are working for man, whether that person is a Christian or not.  If Jesus was here in the flesh, wouldn’t you do your very best work for Him?

How can we give our best when we might have higher aspirations of our own?  “Be content with such things as you have." (Heb. 13:5)  It appears then, that discontent comes by choice.  If we are discontent because we believe we do not have the abilities to do a good job, we will find that Christ will enable us to make it.  “We can do all things through Christ” who strengthens us.  If God has other plans for us, He will bring them to light.

We find in the book of Esther, a reminder that “the steps of a righteous person, are ordered by the Lord” (Ps. 37:23).  Esther, a Jew, came from obscurity to fame as the wife and queen of King Ahasuerus Syria.  Her uncle, Mordecai had raised Esther from a child.  Through strange circumstances, Esther had come to the palace at a time when the Jewish people were about to be annihilated.  Her uncle told her that she could save her people, the Jews. “After all,” he said, “who knows whether you have come to this place for such a time as this”.  Queen Esther did her very best and saved her people from death.

We, too, must give of our very best wherever we are and whatever we do.  Who knows but that we were brought to where we are in life for a time such as this.

I have a sign in my home that reads, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 23:15)  That means whether at my work place, my fun times, my home; wherever I am at and whatever I am doing, I have chosen to serve the Lord.  After all, I plan on giving Him my best, wherever I may be.  How about you; is He first in your life and in your service?

WHERE ON EARTH IS YOUR MIND?

The New Testament was originally written in Greek. The Greek word sunkleronomos (soong-klay-ron-om-oss) means “co-heir”, or “with a lot to possess”.  In plain words, it means a joint participant and one who receives much with another. The words heir or co-heir is used several times in the New Testament.

When you were born, you did not choose who your biological mother and father would be.  Perhaps some of you were adopted; you did not choose your adoptive parents.  However, we do have a choice of becoming God’s children.  We can decide if we want him to be our Father and for Jesus to become our brother.

Eph. 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

If our earthly father was the President of the United States, or even the King of England, we would want everyone to know about it.  Along with that honor would comes quite a few “perks”.  Being the child of someone that important would allow us freedom like we wouldn’t believe.  We would have power and prestige; everything we needed would be given to us.  We would know that someday all the things that belonged to our Dad, would become ours, jointly, with our brothers and sisters.

As Christians, that is our true position in life right now, and some of us try to keep it a secret.  Many believers are living like paupers and slaves to this world, when they could be living like kings.  All we need to do is call our “Daddy” and he will take care of us.  Ro. 8:15 “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, (Daddy) Father.  Not only are we able now to live in victory, but this inheritance will allow us to live in victory forever.

Thank God for his wonderful grace and everlasting mercy.  Thank him for not only giving you life as an infant coming into this world, but for giving us another chance that we could be born again and have a new life that continues as we leave this world.  There are unimaginable wonders that await the “born again” believer in an eternal life in heaven.  I Pet. 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you...”

Perhaps you have never experienced the love of a father on this earth; the kind of love that makes Dad the “hero” of our life.  This kind of love gives our child within, a desire to become just like him.  It is time to let the past go; the hurt, resentment and bitterness.  You have a Father that loves you with an unending love.  He’s an eternal hero for all times and if we stick with him and try to know him better, someday, we’ll be like him.  Reach out and receive the love he is offering you today!

John 3:1-2 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

Do you have low self-esteem; the kind that lets you believe you are worthless and good for nothing?  Do you think that you have nothing to offer, even as a believer?  You are wrong!  You are more valuable to your heavenly Father than all the riches of the world.  As God’s dear children, just as with a king’s child, he has given you power and authority; power to come against the enemy and authority to overcome him.  He has given you power to be a great witness for him.  You have been equipped to carry out “the great commission”. (Mark 16:15)

As Christians, we need to be decisive. You already have the ability to make decisions.  When you asked Jesus into your heart, you made a positive decision.  When you open your Bible to read the Word, you have made a decision.  When you go to God in prayer, you are decisive.  It isn’t only in spiritual matters - we make daily decisions, it is part our everyday lives.  It may be a decision about where you live, how you live and what you need to maintain your life. It is time Christians stand up and make decisions about living holy, Godly lives; taking a stand for a moral lifestyle.  After all, one day you will even judge the angels.  If you can’t make a decision now - how will you make heavenly decisions and judgments in life to come?  Read I Corinthians 6:2-3“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!”

You are the “ELECT” of God, your Father.  He chose you from the beginning, to belong to him.  God didn’t choose wimps to be his children.  Now is the time to take your rightful place in his kingdom.  You are his ambassadors to the world.  Ambassadors are not sent forth dressed in rags and bowed low with the cares of the world.  They go forth in the power and authority of the One who sent them; heads held high and without fear.  Who are you? You are a child of Almighty God; his elect - ACT LIKE IT!

Who's Driving Anyway?

Most of us have found ourselves at one time or another as a passenger in a car with a driver who doesn’t drive the way we think he should.  We find ourselves pushing our feet against the floor as though there are invisible brakes and gripping the arm rest as if we were hanging on tight to the steering wheel.  We may even lean our bodies in the direction that we think the driver should go.  Who’s driving; the person sitting in the driver’s seat or the one in the passenger’s seat?  It can be pretty scary when we’re no longer in control.

Up until the time we receive Christ, we controlled our own life; coming and going as we pleased, doing whatever we wanted to do.  Whatever felt good we did, whether sinful or not, we pursued our own desires. When we become born again believers, something truly miraculous happened to our inner being.  Not only did we become a new creature (inside), but we belonged to God; we became His children.  Like earthly children, we need to be obedient to our Father.  In other words, allow Him to have control over our life.

In Romans 8:5-9 (NIV) we read, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”  Also, in verse 14, we see that, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Allowing the Holy Spirit of God to control our life probably won’t happen instantly, but will take place progressively.  At times we may allow God’s Spirit to lead us, and at other times, slip back into our old pattern of doing what we want and when we want. After all, no one in today’s fast paced living wants to wait.  However, if we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, being obedient to God, we begin to experience a greater degree of peace and freedom in our Christian walk.  In Galatians 5:18, we find what that freedom is; “.. if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”   We do not have to feel driven to serve God because of the Ten Commandments, but are free from the bondage of the law.  Serving God in whatever circumstances we are in will become a natural and holy way of living.  That is the freedom of being controlled by the Spirit.  Doing what is right will give us perfect peace.

When Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, was physically on the earth, the Bible tells us that He put himself under the control of God’s Spirit. “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” (Luke 4:1) The Holy Spirit was doing the driving.

It may seem scary to give up control and just be the passenger, but as time goes by, it becomes easier and we can experience the joy of being in the will of God.  Like a passenger riding in a car we can also fight giving up control.  We can try putting the brakes on, or steering in the direction that we want to go.  However, if we do that we probably won’t enjoy the ride.

Lets ask ourselves today, “Who’s Driving , Anyway?”.  Are we being led, or are we going through life trying to put on the brakes against God’s will for us, and trying to steer in another direction than the one God wants to lead us in? Reflect on this and ask our heavenly Father to “lead us in paths of righteousness”,

(Psalm 23:3) With the Bible for a road map and the Spirit of God as the driver, we can be assured we will arrive safely at our destination.

Being Steadfastness in the Faith

In a world where there is constant change; where change is no longer a step by step process, but is an instant commodity, being “steadfast” is not generally the norm.

What is steadfastness?  Being steadfast is standing firm, immovable, determined, persevering in spite of discouragement or opposition.  In loose terms, it could be described as “hanging in there”.

Sound difficult?  Not really.  The Word of God speaks of steadfastness as a good and normal part of a Christian’s personality.  I Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”  When we purpose in our heart to serve the Lord in whatever we do, and continue to serve Him to the best of our ability, not giving into the temptation to waver, we are being steadfast.

How quickly we can change if we give in to temptation.  In America, we can find a way instantly to get something we want, even if we can’t afford it.  It’s called “Instant Credit”!  One minute you might think of something you would like, but don’t have money to buy, but with instant credit, you can have it right now and pay later.  It doesn’t really matter whether you can afford it or not. 

It’s that easy to change from stead-fastness in the faith to follow every whim of doctrine. We hear they are doing a new thing at the church down the road and maybe, we reason, the Lord can use me more there.  We reason that it’s true, God wants every Christian to own a new Cadillac, and you really could use a better car.  Maybe you heard that to be more spiritual, you need to laugh for long periods of time, or ”bark like a dog“ in the spirit; they are doing that in Florida and it certainly is a nicer climate in the winter.

We can reason ourselves into change at any time.  But what about being steadfast? The prophet Isaiah knew what it meant when he said, “I have set my face like a flint”. (Isaiah 50:7)  He had made up his mind to do God’s will no matter whom or what came against him.

We, as Christians today, can also set our face like a flint and purpose in our heart to remain steadfast in the place or situation that God has us in.  If God has placed us in a ministry, then He is not going to call us instantly into another one, even if it appears to be more exciting. If God calls you out, it won’t be without preparation.  He is not going to take you from answering phones to being the president of a company [unless you own the company].  It will be a step by step process.  Paul tells us in Phil. 2:12 that we must even “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”. Only Jesus can save us, but once we receive salvation, there are things He has called us to do. In other words, salvation must express itself in progressive Christian living and upright character.  On a scale of 1 to 10 how are you doing?

“For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.”(Hebrews 3:14)

When God's Glory Comes in the Latter Rain

  Zechariah 10:1  "Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone."

    Even though we long for the glory of the latter rain, it has not yet arrived.  Some have proclaimed the outpouring of God’s Glory out of pure hype.  This is very dangerous, because those who settle for the artificial will never see the real.  Some believe there is an increase of God’s power, healing and miracles today, but that doesn’t automatically indicate the latter rain.

   
We have seen examples in the Bible such as Balaam and King Saul, who each operated in the anointing, but fell short of walking in God’s glory because of their selfish motives.  And we have not been raised up to perform miracles, we have been raised up to go into the entire world and preach the gospel. Let’s look at the rest of   Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

    
The important things here to note is that these signs will follow believers; the most important thing is that we 1) share the gospel and 2) lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  I believe one of the reason’s we don’t see the glory of God today is because there is more longing to witness signs, wonders and miracles than there is for the One who creates them.  If I were to compare this with anything, it would be like going to a David Copperfield Magic performance.  He is so good and does such amazing things that seem to have no explanation, that people just gasp and are in such awe of what they see. They applaud and praise him at every appearance and don’t even know him.

    
Now, we come to church and long to see God in action.  Once in a while someone gets healed and we applaud and yell, but God doesn’t seem to get the glory that David Copperfield does.  At times it seems the one who prays for someone gets the attention and the applause.  The glory of the latter rain is not going to come in miracles, but it will come in a way that will cause people to fall on their faces and weep and tremble at His presence.  We don’t appear to be ready for that yet.  We want to see signs and miracles like the things we watch on television.  We are the generation who wants to be entertained. 

   
Let us be as David was in Psalm 96:8-9 “Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.”  \We are seeking the wrong things of God.  We should be longing for his presence and not for what he is going to do.  Just like in Mark, when the glory falls, signs and wonders will follow. 

   
When my daughter was 4 years old, she had been in the hospital 35 times.  She had had meningitis, polio and collapsed lungs and then pneumonia over and over again.  It was terrifying.  For the first 10 years of her life, we never knew if she would live or die.  During this time my father, who was not a believer, became interested in watching Oral Roberts on television.  I remember Dad telling us we should take Sheryl to Oral Roberts to be healed.  His words were, “that man heals people”.  I don’t think he thought of God doing it, but it was “that man heals.  At 4 years old, she did indeed die and was brought back to life by a minister who came and prayed over her dead body.  It was a true miracle and the first thing my father said was, “God saved her life”.  He even told all his friends about God raising her from the dead.  But as the years went on, that part was forgotten and my father still would not enter the doors of a church.  His excuse was that when he went in a church, his whole body trembled and it scared him really bad.  Looking back, I understand what I didn’t know then - he understood the fear of the Lord!  It was many years later, before he died at age 72, a man in the same hospital room with him led him to the Lord and Dad couldn’t wait to tell us what happened to him. 

   
I told you all this to show you that even if we see someone raised from the dead – a true miracle – it doesn’t always bring salvation to those who see it.  It’s going to have to be something more than signs and wonders;  it takes the presence of the Glory of God.  2 Chronicles 7:1-3 “When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the Lord's house. When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever."

   
This is what the latter rain is all about; not miracles, but about the Glory of God manifesting itself for the people.  When the glory falls, people won’t be running back and forth to the bathroom or texting on their cell phones.  Children won’t be crying or people whispering, but all will be face down and trembling in His presence. 

    
We must remember that when our pursuit is for “blessings” instead of for the Lord, He will remove or withhold so that we will cry out for Him again.  The book of Malachi begins by God rebuking his people; “you call me Lord, but where are my honor and reverence?” 

    Jeremiah 3:2-3 “…And you have polluted the land with your harlotries and your wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain.”  With the early rain came great blessing, but it also brought swift judgment as well.

   
Quit looking for miracles and blessings.  They will follow the believer, but our first priority must be to seek God and honor and reverence Him for who He is.  We need to experience the ‘Fear of the Lord’ and when His Glory enters the place, He will open the heavens and the latter rain will fall.  I want to be drenched in that rain - don't you?